Head coach Doug Pederson has decided to promote from within and make Mike Groh the new offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles.

NBC Sports Philadelphia has confirmed that head coach Doug Pederson is promoting wide receivers coach Mike Groh to fill the position. The job on Pederson’s staff has been vacant since Frank Reich left the organization to become head coach of the Indianapolis Colts.

On Monday Pederson interviewed both Groh and running backs coach Duce Staley for the job. Staley will remain with the Eagles as the running backs coach.

There had been talk last week that Pederson was thinking about leaving the position unfilled and not have an “official” offensive coordinator. He already calls all the plays so it wouldn’t have been much of a stretch to simply take on the role himself.

But with the promotion of Groh, it seems Pederson likes having an offensive coordinator on his staff, especially one who has experience working with the receiving corps. Groh did great work with Alshon Jeffery this past season and may have single-handedly saved the career of Nelson Agholor. Add in all the other duties Pederson has to deal with and having an OC on staff makes a lot of sense.

Of course, the big question is how this decision will affect Staley and his relationship with the Eagles.

Staley is incredibly popular, not just in the locker room but with the fans as well. He played for the Birds as a RB from 1997 until 2003 and then joined the coaching staff in 2011, being promoted to his current position in 2013. He survived not just the firing of Andy Reid, but the chaos and then the end of Chip Kelly era as well.

Staley has made it known that he wants to move up the coaching ladder. Will being passed over for the OC position make him rethink staying in Philadelphia long-term? It’s tough to say.

From previous hires it’s obvious that Pederson values an offensive coordinator who knows how to work with the receivers. Both Reich and Greg Lewis before him had a lot of input into game day planning and so forth, much more than is normal for the typical wide receivers coach.

Of course, if Pederson really wants to help Staley grow as a coach and learn, making him the wide receivers coach would be a smart move. It might not be as glamorous as being OC, but it would move Staley one step closer to the head coaching job he wants to pursue and give him valuable experience as well.

In addition, Groh isn’t the only Eagle getting a promotion. Press Taylor has been given the nod to take over as quarterbacks coach for the departed John DeFilippo. As you may remember, DeFilippo left the Birds shortly the Super Bowl victory to become the offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings.

It looks like filling the vacancies in the Eagles’ coaching staff will happen with a minimal amount of drama and should maintain a good sense of continuity within the team. Which is all very good news as they try to defend their NFL championship next season.

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David Goodman has been a Philadelphia sports fan from the moment his father taught him how to say the words "F*ck Dallas". He loved watching the Phillies win the World Series in 2008, but really hopes to see his beloved Sixers win an NBA title before he dies.

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